Graeme Woods, from Gisborne, was happy to come and speak with us and charmed us from the start! Graeme thinks that Victoria is the best place to live and Camberwell is lovely. The first grevillea was discovered by Joseph Banks at Botany Bay. Around 900 species were sent back to England. Grevilleas are part of the protea family. Graeme explained that Gisborne – where he lives – has great soil and elevation but is around four degrees cooler than Melbourne.Grevilleas can adapt to grow in different conditions and range from miniatures to huge silky oaks. There are three main types of flowers – spider, upright cones and toothbrush. There are also a wide variety of leaves – narrow, oval, needle, holly, fishbone and saw-toothed, to name a few.When planting, ensure the soil pH is between six and seven, dig a hole twice as big as you need and use Rooster Booster – which is cheaper than Dynamic Lifter.Watering needs are minimal – grevilleas don’t like a lot, except for the grafted varieties. Feeding is not really necessary in clay soil, but OK if the soil is sandy or the plants are in pots.If your grevilleas go yellow, use Epsom Salts or iron chelate. They can be propagated with cuttings or seeds and are easy to breed. Graeme showed us photographs of his beautiful three and a half acre garden, which is at its best in October.Graeme explained that he will go anywhere to source his plants and loves to share his cuttings to ensure they survive. Some are prickly, have funny smells and even attract blowflies. There are a huge variety and Graeme encouraged everyone to have at least one in the garden.
